Rams must improve on D-line

The St. Louis Rams hit their second in a long string of two-a-day practices by getting a jump on things at 8:15 a.m. in full pads. The Rams continued to focus on individual drills and special teams play. For the afternoon session it was down to shells.

One of the areas the Rams need to improve on is the defensive line. The Rams’ defensive unit gave up 154 yards rushing per game and opposing quarterbacks completed 63% of their passes. With veteran Leonard Little in the final year of his contract, he’s hoping to make a turnaround from last year when a hamstring injury limited his play. Yet, Little still managed six sacks. Little is the last remaining member of the Rams’ Super Bowl team.

Spagnuolo likes veterans and in addition to leaning on Little, he’ll look for more experience in the middle of the line. Last week, the team went out and signed free agent defensive lineman Hollis Thomas who is the oldest player on the team. Spagnuolo will also lean on DE James Hall for some possible presence in the middle of the line. The 10 year veteran led the Rams with 6.5 sacks last year. Spagnuolo likes his leadership. "He’s very versatile. I think James Hall is a good football player. We did it a little bit in the spring with him. He’s done it before, he’s played some tackle and some end, so he’ll continue to do that. And I notice he jumps in everywhere in those drills, which is great, we need that."

Spagnuolo will be expecting more from second year player Chris Long. He did just about everything you could ask from a rookie. He started all 16 games and was second among NFC rookies with 14 sacks. However, what’s just as important as a sack, is forcing the quarterback to get rid of the ball sooner than he would like. He led the Rams with 16 QB pressures. On Long, Spagnuolo said, "Chris Long is, I think, exactly what the organization wanted when they got him. He’s a high-motor guy, a team guy, great character guy. But he’s a second-year player now. There is a big jump you have got to make from year one to year two, and we’re hoping Chris makes that leap."